Two Weeks Away From A Peace Deal

7.31.25

Happy Wednesday and welcome back to today’s edition of Common Sense with Ally Sammarco. Let’s break it down.

Trump demands Murdoch testify in Epstein libel case….Donald Trump is now pushing to depose media titan Rupert Murdoch within 15 days as part of his defamation lawsuit over a Wall Street Journal article that referenced his alleged birthday card to Jeffrey Epstein back in 2003. Trump claims Murdoch personally assured him the story would be killed and now says the Journal published it to intentionally damage him.

Common Sense takeaway: This is a classic Trump playbook. Sue somebody when they say something he doesn’t like. Let’s be real: if anybody is publishing false stories about Trump, it isn’t Rupert Murdoch. Personally, I’m looking to forward to what happens during the discovery period.

Trump shortens deadline for Russia to act on Ukraine…From the greens of his Scottish golf course, Trump threw out a new ultimatum to Putin: finalize peace in Ukraine within 10 to 12 days, down from his earlier “50-day” timeline. So, essentially 10 to 12 days for Putin to do whatever he wants. Oh, and as a side note, Trump finally acknowledged starvation in Gaza and told Israel to “deliver more aid.”

Common Sense takeaway: Trump’s foreign policy is like improv theater. Rush the plot, rewrite the script mid-scene, and then act like that was your plan all along. He did say he would end the war on Day One, didn’t he? Guess we will find out if peace is truly two weeks away this time.

U.S.-EU trade deal lifts markets—with backlash…Trump just inked a new U.S.–EU trade agreement slapping a 15% tariff on most European imports while securing big European purchases of American energy and tech. Wall Street’s thrilled—stocks soared across oil, defense, and semiconductors. But Europe? Not so much. Leaders across the EU are calling the deal a lopsided giveaway that will spark consumer price spikes.

Common Sense takeaway: Wall Street got a win, Europe has more problems, and Trump gets to strut around acting like he just brokered world peace while stirring up more tension with our allies.

Celeb couple bonanza….Three different celebrity couples became public items all in one day. They are as follows: Ana de Armas and Tom Cruise, Pamela Anderson and Liam Neeson, and Katy Perry and former Canadian PM Justin Trudeau. Whatever you think about each couple, we can all admit it it was unexpected day for love in Hollywood.

That’s it for today. Thanks for reading Common Sense. Check back tomorrow for more.